Columbus Dispatch (Aug 15, 2008)
Professional part-timers: 10 til 2 job-placement service caters to corporate types
By Tracy Turner
After more than 20 years working in corporate He sought help from 10 til 2, a job-placement service that specializes in professionals seeking long-term, part-time jobs. In less than 90 days after signing up at 10 til 2, Reed found a job as a business analyst for a nonprofit organization. "It's been a good match. The job keeps my skills marketable and up to date and keeps me busy," he said. "With both my wife and I having demanding corporate jobs, it was tough finding a balance for family. We've found this to be a very good solution for us." 10 til 2 is among the country's first part-time placement services working with college-educated professionals in long-term, part-time positions. Many of the jobs are in administration, accounting and sales. In less than a year since central She said that while most are stay-at-home parents, others such as retirees, recent college grads and entrepreneurs also have sought the company's services. While most of the prospective employees have at least a bachelor's degree, candidates must have completed at least one year of college, Martin said. Laborer, retail, restaurant and temporary, fill-in positions are not offered. The jobs pay based on skill level, with the range typically $13 to $75 per hour. Those offered jobs technically work for 10 til 2, with the client company given the option to buy out the employee's contract after the first six months, she said. The employees receive no benefits. "From the candidate's perspective, it allows parents time with their kids but still allows them to utilize their skills," Martin said. "From the client's perspective, as resources get tighter and companies look to stretch their dollars, they get everything they are looking for without having to pay benefits." That's significant for many, particularly small businesses, because benefits costs rose to an average of 30.3 percent of total compensation for employees this year, according to March 2008 figures from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation says that the annual premium for an employer health plan covering a family of four averaged $12,100. The figure was $4,400 for an individual. "In this economy, employers are wanting skilled workers, but don't want to have to pay full-blown salary with the extra costs of benefits," Martin said. That's one reason Insight Bank used the company to hire a credit analyst who could work two days a week, said Mark Kelly, president of the Polaris bank. "We're a new bank, only 2 years old, so as we grow, it'll likely call for a full-time position, but (our needs) don't warrant that today," he said. "Being a small business that's considerable savings in not having to pay benefits for an employee that we need so few hours a week." Founded in 2003 by a group of working mothers in The company is far from a traditional temporary agency that offers temporary, permanent, full-time and part-time work. Its focus on professionals looking for the flexibility of part-time work to balance career and life priorities makes it unique, said Richard Wahlquist, president and chief executive of the American Staffing Association, a Virginia-based trade group. "The 10 til 2 niche is still unique in the staffing industry, but will likely be a growth area in our industry in the coming years," he said. The company plans to open at least two more locations in The staffing industry generates $91 billion in business annually, according to the staffing association. More than 90 percent of companies nationwide use staffing companies to hire workers at some point, and about 2.9 million people in the current work force were placed through such agencies, the group said. Greenleaf JTS, a North Side job-placement agency for disabled workers, is one of those companies. The agency used 10 til 2 to find a part-time bookkeeper who was willing to work two afternoons a week, said Jennifer Kuntz, the agency president. "I think it's wonderful that there's a company out there that values these people as parents who value their home lives just as much as their professional lives," she said. "I think that is something that deserves notice."